More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for “row of lights”. It is the most important holiday in India.
Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disneyland in California and New York City’s Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.
Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act. “I felt it’s about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India’s rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world,” she said, “and I couldn’t find a better place than Times Square.”
Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.
In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called “diyas”.
A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch performances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world. The program takes place on November 10th through January 7th.
San Antonio, Texas, also holds a Diwali celebration. And it is one of the nation’s largest celebrations, with more than 15,000 people in attendance each year. Visitors can enjoy Indian dance, food and fireworks. Organizers also plan to float hundreds of lighted candles in the San Antonio River, along the city’s famous River Walk.
1.Which is the main symbol in the Indian holiday Diwali?
A.Dances. B.Lamps.
C.Food. D.Clothes.
2.Why did Neeta Bhasin set up the Times Square event?
A.To make the American culture richer.
B.To create a new business for the firm.
C.To make Indian culture better known in the US.
D.To show the achievements of Indian immigrants.
3.What do we know about Diwali?
A.It is held in autumn in India.
B.It lasts five days in America.
C.It has been held for 40 years in America.
D.It happens from November 10th to January 7th in India.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Diwali is mainly celebrated in Disney Parks.
B.Many American cities compete to hold Diwali.
C.Indian Holiday Diwali lights up America, too.
D.Diwali has become the most important holiday in India.
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and joy to life and to everything,” the ancient Greek philosopher Plato said.
This is one of Don Spencer’s favorite mottos that he firmly believes. “We know that music brings joy and comfort, and makes us feel happy,” Spencer says, “But research has also discovered music plays a powerful role in the mental development of children. Music inspires creativity, imagination and self-expression. It also builds self-respect and is good for memory skills.”
The power of music
Much research supports both Spencer and Plato. A Stanford University study found that musical training improves the way the brain processes the spoken word.
Research from Canada found that children aged four to six years old who had music lessons had better memories, as well as higher ability to read and write and math’s levels.
Not in the curriculum
Research from Australia shows it’s not that smart kids play music; it’s that music makes kids smarter. It supports Spencer’s call for music to be a standard part of the school curriculum, like English and Math.
“Music is everywhere, but not at 75 percent of public schools around Australia who don't have a devoted music teacher,” Spencer says. “It's sad that many children don’t have access to formal musical education, particularly when it has such an effect on a child’s development.”
Ideally, Spencer would like every child to learn an instrument. “Kids can access cheap instruments like a ukulele, recorder or harmonica,” Spencer says. He says the Internet has a lot of free videos which teach you how to play instruments.
“I can't stress enough how important music is,” he says. “It builds relationships, unites people and, most importantly, it is fun.”
1.Plato’s words are mentioned at the beginning of the text to show that ________.
A.music was important in ancient time B.everything is based on music
C.Spencer admires Plato D.music has magic power
2.From the research from Australia mentioned in the passage, we can learn ________.
A.music can make children smarter
B.children aged four to six have better memories
C.there are no professional music teachers in Australia
D.music is a standard part of the school curriculum in most schools
3.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.When Music is taught B.Why Music Matters
C.Why We Learn Instruments D.How Children Learn Music
One evening last summer, when I asked my 14 year old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response shocked me. “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.
I could only blame myself. In the family, nobody else’s hands went in the sauce except my own. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for.
As parents, while we focus on our sons’ confidence and character, we perhaps don’t always consider that we are also raising someone’s future roommates, boyfriends, husbands, or fathers. I wanted to know that I’d raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?”
So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home economics course. I was delighted to find that he didn’t say no. For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust (馅饼皮) and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.
I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops in the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother — he tried to beg not to have sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive — but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate what you do as a mom,” he told me one day. Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more importantly, he realizes there’s nothing masculine (男子气概的) about being helpless.
Now, not only can he make his own dinner, but also he can make a big meal for his family. That’s what I call a man. I’m glad that I prepared so great a present for my future daughter-in-law.
1.Why was the author shocked at her son’s response?
A.Because he was not well behaved.
B.Because he refused to help with dinner.
C.Because he didn’t know the common kitchen tools.
D.Because he was very curious about kitchen tools.
2.In the author’s opinion, some parents pay little attention to .
A.building up children’s confidence B.telling kids what is right and wrong
C.making children live a hard life D.preparing children for their future life
3.What would the author like to convey in the text?
A.Useful education for boys B.Boys should be involved in housework.
C.The importance of housework D.Cooking and sewing make boys masculine.
写作
假如你是新华中学的学生张华，班里从外地转来一名同学李明，他一时无法融入新的班集体中，感到很苦恼。请根据下列要点用英语给他写封信：
＊帮他分析原因
＊给他提出建议
＊陈述你帮助他的具体打算
注意：词数120～150
Dear Li Ming,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Best regards,
Zhang Hua
词汇与语法填空题
1.Can you leave me alone? I can’t c___________ on my study now.
2.No one knows the real reason ________ he didn’t show up that day.
3.They got up very early to catch the ___________ (航班)to London.
4.Anne is an active girl and she is c_________ about everything.
5.He was badly i________ in the accident.
6.You didn’t know who she is, ________ you?
7.We should learn from our ___________(失败)and never lose heart.
8.After the war, the whole city lay in r________.
9.The custom d________ back hundreds of years.
10.They __________ (leave) for Beijing tomorrow.
11.If you want to travel abroad, you need to __________ (申请)for a visa first.
12.She won’t forgot the days _________ she worked as a volunteer to help those survivors.
13.He p________ basketball to volleyball and his favourite athlete is Michael Jordan.
14.The sports meet _________(come) soon. Are you ready for it?
15.The earthquake_________ happened in Tangshan on 28 July 1976 is a terrible experience.
16.This problem is really __________(confuse). Many students have to ask their teacher for help.
17.He wants to become a doctor to help those who ___________(遭受)from illnesses.
18.Lang Ping is a living legend _______ brought honour and glory to her country.
19.Chinese characters and paintings can help you ______________(欣赏)China’s culture and history.
20.Some friends and I _____________(go) to watch the new movie tonight. Would you like to come along?
Afraid to have a start, I was walking slowly into my first school in America. I had _____a long distance from India in order to join parents, who had been here for three years, hoping America would help my future. My father decided that I would go to school here, so I _____a local high school in my new town.
With _____on one hand and fear on the other, I arrived at the classroom. Everyone’s eyes were on me as I entered the classroom. Without paying attention to them, I went straight to the _____and asked him if it was the right class. With a _____voice, he answered, “Yes.” His voice comforted me a little. He gave me a(n) _____called “course requirements”, which I would never get in India. Then he asked me to _____where I would sit. I chose the _____closest to the door instead of the corner where all of the boys were sitting. I didn’t _____want to pick a seat. In India, we had _____seats, so I never needed to worry about that. I spent the rest of the class taking notes from the _____produced by the overhead projector (投影仪).
____it was my first day, I was confused which hallway to use, but I _____to get to my classes without asking anyone. I wasn’t quite sure when I would have _____. I thought it was time for my next class and the bell rang as I entered the classroom. I went through the _____process of asking the teacher if I was in the right class. Feeling surprised, she said, “That is the lunch bell.” I felt a little _____. Without another word, I headed for the _____.
At the end of the day, I developed some friendships and started to love my new school. On my way to the bus stop, I realized that all the _____seemed like the obstacle(障碍) I had to _____to reach my goal. After I got on my bus and sat down inside _______, I said to myself: Today isn’t so bad.
1.A.measured B.increased C.traveled D.returned
2.A.entered B.found C.explored D.constructed
3.A.anger B.anxiety C.sympathy D.sadness
4.A.employer B.teacher C.colleague D.companion
5.A.deep B.familiar C.strict D.soft
6.A.advertisement B.sheet C.notice D.container
7.A.choose B.judge C.inform D.discuss
8.A.seat B.direction C.destination D.scene
9.A.generally B.suddenly C.actually D.honestly
10.A.empty B.assigned C.single D.decorated
11.A.movie B.picture C.voice D.series
12.A.Though B.If C.Since D.As long as
13.A.pretended B.refused C.allowed D.managed
14.A.gifts B.chances C.fun D.lunch
15.A.same B.unexpected C.complex D.effective
16.A.shocked B.excited C.annoyed D.embarrassed
17.A.classroom B.dormitory C.library D.cafeteria
18.A.failure B.sorrow C.confusion D.amazement
19.A.put away B.get through C.build up D.show off
20.A.sadly B.happily C.curiously D.angrily
